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18

Stories
73-84

By Candace
Mia

Copyright
2017 Candace Mia

Smashwords
Edition

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This is a work of
fiction. Any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental. All character depicted in this work of fiction
are 18 years old or older.

Cadly
was nervous. It was her first time to be alone. It had always been
her and Mom. Mom had worked from home and had always been there to
take her to school and drop her off.

Mom
was busy putting things into a suitcase. “But you’re eighteen
now, so you should be able to handle the rules. Don’t go outside
while I’m gone. There’s plenty of food. You can read the books I
left you, but do not turn on the computer or the TV. Don’t let
anyone in the house.”

Cadly
nodded obediently. She hadn’t been out much at all since she’d
graduated from high school a few weeks ago. She basically just went
to town when mom went to town to get supplies. She’d been very
surprised to hear Mother would be leaving on the weekends. But Mom’s
new boyfriend was a concert pianist and wanted her to travel with him
to his shows. He’d requested that Cadly not come along. He had
suggested that the weekends alone would be good for her, that it was
time for Cadly to grow up.

Cadly
wasn’t totally against it. She’d often wondered what it would be
like for her mother to be away.

She’d
heard the kids at school talk. She’d never really been friends with
them. She couldn’t be friends with them. She was never allowed to
go to their houses or have them over. But she’d heard them talk
about the things they did.

Of
course, those kids were far away now.

Cadly
would be out in the country, four miles from the small town where she
went to school, a mile from the closest neighbors on one side, two
miles on the other side.

Mother
finished her packing. “Okay. I have to go now. I love you. And if
you need anything, call my cell phone.”

“Okay,
Mom.”

Mom
loaded up the car and drove away. For the first time in her life,
Cadly was alone.”

#

There
was a car in the driveway. She’d seen this car in the parking lot
at school

Cadly
had been reading her book when she heard it coming down the dirt
road. She’d picked up the receiver on the phone and was ready to
hit the speed dial for mom. But then she’d seen the car and knew
who it was.

Baker
had been the starting quarterback on their football team. He’d be
going off to college on scholarship next year. She’d heard people
say that it wasn’t a big college he was going to, but it was still
impressive for a boy from their town.

Baker
dated Gina, who most people said was the prettiest girl in school.

Why
would Baker be coming out here?

Cadly
put the receiver down. From the slightly open curtain in the living
room, she watched Baker get of his car and walk up the sidewalk. He
appeared to be alone. He rang the doorbell at the side of the house.

Cadly
didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to call Mom for this.
Baker wasn’t dangerous. At least, she didn’t think he was.
Besides, Mom was on an airplane now. What the heck was she going to
do?

She
supposed she could just pretend she was not here. Baker could see
there was no car in the drive. He’d probably just assume she’d
left with her mother.

She
waited. Baker rang the doorbell again.

Her
heart was beating fast. She wasn’t used to pretending like this.
She’d never had to hide in her own house before. Mom had always
been here.

Baker
waited on the porch for a little while. Then he moved along the side
of the house.

Cadly
had to move away from the curtain. She left the living room and went
into the dining room, where she peered through the curtain there.

Baker
was on the other side of her now.

He
was a good looking guy. He was wearing shorts and what the kids
called a wife-beater shirt. There were a lot of muscles showing.

They
wouldn’t have let him wear that at school, where guys were required
to have sleeves. His shoulders were thick, and she could see some of
the muscles on his back. She couldn’t help but wonder what they
felt like.

Baker
was trying to look in the window, but he couldn’t, of course. Mom
had told her to keep all the curtains shut.

Baker
tried to open the window, but it was locked, of course.

She
thought it was weird that he tried. Was he trying to break in? It
didn’t seem like he’d do something like that. He’d always been
nice enough.

Then
he shouted, “Cadly. Are you in there? I saw your mom driving alone.
I was worried something happened to you.”

She
supposed that made sense. Since school had ended, Mom had not left
the house without taking Cadly with her. She’d made her boyfriend
come out to the house to visit. The man had been very persistent in
saying Cadly should have some alone time. He’d finally worn her
mother down.

But
Mother had left hours ago. Why would Baker just now be coming out?

Maybe
he’d been waiting to see if made his eyes had deceived him. Maybe
he’d wanted to wait and see if they went by again, to confirm Cadly
was okay.

He
moved around the side of the house, to the front of the house.

Cadly
went into her bedroom and peeped though the curtain again. She’d
expected Baker to be on the front porch, trying to look in the living
room from there. But that’s not where he was. No, Baker was
standing right in front of her. Their eyes met. She was caught.

She
quickly moved back.

She
couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been. Maybe Mom had been right
to not leave her alone all these years.

Even
though she knew Baker was there, she was still startled when he
banged on the window. Then his voice was there again.

“Cadly.
Is everything okay?”

She
felt foolish. She imagined him going back to town and joking about
how he’d seen her alone here and she was afraid to come out.

Or
maybe he was really worried about her. Maybe he thought she was being
held captive. That seemed farfetched, but at the same time, she hated
to think he was going to leave here worried about her.

She
opened the curtain. “I’m okay,” she said. “I was, um, taking
a nap.”

“What?”
he shouted. “I can’t hear you.”

She
felt stupid. She should have known he wouldn’t be able to hear her
through the window. That’s why he was shouting.

She
didn’t want to shout through the window. She didn’t like to shout
at all. So instead, she made a motion with her hand for him to go
around.

He
nodded like he understood. Then he left the front of the house.

Cadly
made her way to the side of the house. Even though she’d already
said what she planned to say, which was exactly what she’d spoken
through the window, she rehearsed it in her head as she moved.

She
got to the big wooden door at the side of the house. She undid all
latches and deadlocks mom had put there. She used the key to unlock
the last one. Then she opened the door to the mudroom.

But
it wasn’t just the mudroom. On the other side of the screen door
stood the best looking guy she knew.

She
walked across the mudroom floor. She stood inches from him, but with
a screen door between them.

He
was smiling at her. He looked so cute when he smiled. She moved the
little latch on the door.

He
opened the door.

She
said, “I’m nap. I was taking an okay.”

He
looked taken aback.

She
wished she could have a do over.

He
laughed. “Must not have had some caffeine yet. You’re tongue
twisted.”

His
laugh was actually kind of soothing for her. She laughed a little
too.

“Are
you alone?” he asked.

She’d
already proven to herself that she wasn’t such a good liar. She
wasn’t about to try it again. She nodded.

“Oh,”
he said. “I was surprised to see your mom drive by without you. Can
I come in?”

She
had not anticipated this. In her wildest dreams she’d not
anticipated this.

She’d
told guys no before. She’d told girls no too. She’d told them for
years that her mom wouldn’t let her do this or that. They’d
stopped asking years ago. It was like she was out of practice now.

And
she could smell him. He smelled of cologne, but he also had that wild
sort of boy smell. If she told him no, he’d definitely go away.
He’d definitely take that smell away too, and those biceps. There
were lines in his biceps. She didn’t have lines in hers. Mom didn’t
either. Mom’s boyfriend’s were big, but very lineless too. And
those were the only people she was likely to see for who knew how
long if she told Baker no. She was so tempted to just run her fingers
down those lines. But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t let him
in either. Mom would never approve.

She
shook her head. “Mom wouldn’t like that.”

“Oh
really? But you seem disappointed.”

She
felt stupid again. She was not doing a very good job of hiding her
real feelings from him. She didn’t know what to say or do right
now. So, naturally, she went with something a person did when he or
she didn’t know what to say or do.

She
shrugged.

Baker
laughed again. It still had that soothing quality.

“I
know your mother has never let you do anything, Cadly. We all know
that. Our parents made us all leave you alone, because they didn’t
want to make your mother mad. But you’re eighteen now. I’m
eighteen now. We can do what we want.”

Cadly
had thought of that before. How could she not? She knew the law. She
was technically an adult now. And well, she did kind of want to let
him in.

“I
guess you can come in,” she said, but just for a little while.

#

Cadly
led Baker inside. She felt kind of bad already for letting him into
the house. So she didn’t take him to her room. She led him into the
living room instead.

She
sat on the couch. Baker sat on the cushion beside her. That seemed
dangerous, but she could smell him again.

“What
are you doing?” he asked a little while later.

“What
do you mean?” she asked.

He
gave a little chuckle. You’re just sitting there sucking in deep
breaths. Are you nervous?”

“Um?”
She tried to think of why she might be sucking in deep breathes. The
only two things that came to mind were the truth, that she’d
smelled him and gotten lost in the scent, or his explanation, that
she was nervous. She really wished there was something better she
could think of, but she just wasn’t used to situations like this.
So she went with the least weird thing. At least, she tried to go
with the least weird thing.

“You’re
right. I’m nervous about the smell.”

Baker
sucked in a couple of deep sniffs of his own. “What? I don’t
smell anything.”

“Oh,”
she said. Because now that was the extent of what she could come up
with.

They
just sat there for a few awkward seconds.

“How
about we watch TV?” Baker said.

That
sounded like a good idea, except for that Mom had forbidden her to
turn it on while she wasn’t there.

“I’m
not allowed,” Cadly said.

Baker
shook his head. “Stop saying that. Your mom can’t tell you what
you’re allowed to do anymore.” He got the remote off the coffee
table and turned on the television. He found a channel with a music
video and left it on. “I’m surprised your mom doesn’t have
parental codes on here.”

“Um.
What are those?”

“Well,
they’re codes that you have to have to get on certain channels or
in some instances, turn the television on at all.”

“Oh.
She knows I’d never try that.”

He
laughed. “Maybe that’s the problem. But hey, do you have
something to drink around here? It’s really hot outside.”

She
felt stupid again. She’d never entertained anyone, but she’d seen
mom do it. Mom always offered the guest a drink.

“Yes,”
she said. “There’s diet soda, lemonade, milk, water, or I can
make coffee.”

“Um.
Soda will be fine.”

She
hurried into the kitchen. She got a drink for him and a drink for
her. She brought them back to the couch.